


One Lazy Sunday

by SlimShakey



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Auguste (Captive Prince) Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24386485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlimShakey/pseuds/SlimShakey
Summary: Auguste and Laurent go riding in a forest.
Relationships: Auguste & Laurent (Captive Prince)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	One Lazy Sunday

**Author's Note:**

> Be gentle, please. I've never written anything close to fanfic before. I rolled dice to inspire random plot and got "In-world AU," "Date," "Auguste," and "Laurent." If you enjoyed this, I would be thrilled to hear what you liked. If you have any critiques, you might help me become a better writer.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Auguste and Laurent seldom had leisure time. Such is life as a king and a prince. However, they had a standing date to go riding every other Sunday afternoon, weather permitting. With the leaves just beginning to turn for fall, Auguste knew it would be a beautiful day to spend in the gentle sunshine.

As Auguste finished lacing his riding apparel, he walked out of his dressing room to see Laurent curled upon a window seat reading a book. He smiled to himself, thinking some things will never change.

"Should I let you finish your chapter?" Auguste teased.

Laurent looked up from his book to roll his eyes at Auguste before he smiled himself. He put a piece of paper in the book to hold his place before standing from the window seat, book in hand.

"I needed a way to pass the time while you primped and preened," Laurent retorted.

Auguste walked to the door with a grin on his face. He let Laurent pass through before shutting the door behind them. With a nod to the guards outside of his door, Auguste walked with Laurent out of the palace toward the stable.

"Damianos of Akielos will arrive in two days," Auguste stated.

Everywhere one looked, preparations for the newly-crowned monarch's visit could be seen. Auguste hadn't seen Jord in days, being the head of the King's Guard. He could appreciate Jord's dedication to overseeing to security matters, but Auguste didn't think his friend was getting enough sleep.

"I am surprised he is willing to leave his kingdom so soon after his father's passing. I would have thought it would be a year before he even thought of leaving Ios, much less Akielos. It has been three months since King Theomedes passed," Laurent replied.

"Theomedes had been ill for two years," Auguste pointed out. "Maybe King Damianos was more prepared for his father's death than we were for ours."

At that statement, the brothers became quiet. Six years ago, the evening before the battle at Marlas, King Aleron learned that his brother intended to have him assassinated. Instead of a trial by court, their uncle asked for a trial by combat. Wanting the matter settled before battle, King Aleron granted his brother's wish. Auguste had been more than willing to fight as his father's champion, but Aleron told him that this fight was between brothers. When the king managed to finally fatally wound his brother, he received a dagger to the thigh for his trouble. It wasn't mortal wound, but the poison the dagger had been tipped in was too fast-acting to treat. By morning, King Aleron had been pronounced dead and Auguste pronounced king.

Auguste said, "Before you promise for the hundredth time, let me tell you that I know you are nothing like our uncle. I know you love me and that you think I'm the greatest brother there ever was. You would be devastated and lost without me."

Laurent gave him an affectionate shove, then said, "You are definitely the greatest pain in the ass there ever was. Do you remember that time I tripped you before beating you in a race to the stable?"

Auguste gave Laurent a puzzled look before he realized what was happening. Auguste rolled into the fall his brother had caused while listening to Laurent's trailing laughter as he sprinted the rest of the way. Auguste, while trying to catch up to his cheater of a brother, called out obscenities at Laurent, which caused them both to laugh and stumble.

Racing through the stable doors, Laurent declared himself victor and nearly took out a stable-hand who had just finished saddling their horses. Auguste was only a few feet behind and caught sight of this display.

"That was quite graceful, Laurent. I'm sure the Akielons will be appreciate the lightness of foot you possess."

Thanking the young man, Laurent stored his book in a small saddle bag, which also held water skeins, then the brothers took the reins and mounted. As they walked toward the stable doors that led to their favorite riding trails, Laurent retaliated. "Light of foot, indeed. Did you enjoy eating my dust?"

Auguste snorted. "Enjoy your ill-won race, brother mine. Revenge will be sweet. Since you won, which trail would you like to ride?"

"The Faerie Forest trail. This is the best time of year for it."

Auguste hummed his agreement. Letting Laurent take the lead, the brothers rode to the trailhead that would take them deeper into the woods.

Auguste took a deep breath of the crisp air. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the still-warm breeze and the scattered sunlight that made it through the canopy. He smiled and opened his eyes before looking at Laurent affectionately. There is nothing he wouldn't do for his little brother. On the heels of that thought, Auguste thought of his father and uncle again. He wondered if they had ever had moments such as this one. He doubted it, sadly.

The trail narrowed as it went deeper into the forest. Old leaf debris lay strewn across the ground. The sounds of birds and insects chirping brought the forest symphony into a lovely richness that gave such peace to Auguste. He saw Laurent take a inhale deeply and knew his brother was thinking the same thing.

A moment later, Laurent turned in his saddle to ask, "With King Damianos seeking a peaceful alliance with us, do you think he would enjoy seeing the Faerie Forest?"

"I imagine riding though the forest would be infinitely more entertaining than diplomatic meetings. Would you like me invite him to ride with us next time?"

"I would be amenable to that, but I do not think we should wait two weeks if we want to show him the forest at its best. Most of the leaves will have already turned and fallen by then. I noticed there is a meeting scheduled between you and King Damianos on Friday afternoon. What if you changed it so that it was instead a picnic lunch?"

"Hmm. Two rides in one week with my brother and a picnic, or a formal lunch with nosy courtiers? It's a tough decision to make." Auguste smiled and said, "I'll have to ask King Damianos if he is willing to change the venue and time, but I don't believe it will be hard to sell him on a picnic and riding. If you are coming along, we'll have to extend the offer to Prince Kastor."

Laurent hummed thoughtfully before agreeing by saying, "I suppose that is only fair. Two against one would probably make the Akielons jumpy. Should we also invite Jord and his Akielon equivalent to make it appear on the up-and-up?"

"It wouldn't hurt," Auguste answered. "It would still be a small enough group to ride quickly. Jord could hardly argue against this outing if he is coming with us. If he comes, I can assure myself that he has eaten at least one proper meal that day. His paranoia might keep me alive, but I refuse to let it be the death of him."

Laurent nodded his head and turned to face forward in the saddle again. As they got closer to the heart of the Faerie Forest, the further away their troubles seemed. No one was demanding Auguste's attention or approval, criticizing his decisions, or jockeying for more power for themselves; they were just two brothers on a ride, enjoying the solace of a lovely day.

After an hour had passed since they left the stable, the clearing, which had inspired the naming of the forest, came into view. Twelve perfectly round boulders that were four feet in diameter were nestled into the ground on the edge of the clearing. The strange stones were nearly black in color. There were no written stories that Laurent could find about how the stones came to be here. Their father once told them a story, though, about a Faerie Prince who had crossed into the mortal world here to find a bride to take home. Auguste couldn't remember if the Faerie Prince succeeded or not.

They dismounted and tied their horses to trees just outside of the clearing. They pulled the water skeins, and for Laurent, his book, before seating themselves upon the bare ground within the stone ring.

Auguste whispered, "Do you remember the end of the Faerie Prince story Father told us?"

Laurent looked askance at him and asked, quietly as well, "Why are we whispering?" He raised his voice to a normal volume. "He failed to find a bride and was exiled to the mortal world because of it."

Auguste winced. "Can't you feel the energy that flows through here? Anyway, that seems like a harsh punishment. Not only did he not find a someone to marry, but he was doomed to live his days alone in a strange land. It makes the council seem less terrifying by comparison."

"I did not say that he failed to find love. Only that he failed to find a bride. He fell in love with mortal man, but Faerie had no use for men who could not further their Fae lineage. The Prince loved his mortal until the man died of old age."

Confused, Auguste asked, "Did you make that up? I don't remember that being the ending that Father told us."

Laurent stilled in thought. He closed his eyes, and Auguste could see them flitting back and forth behind his eyelids, as if reading from a book or searching the archives of his mind for the answer. When Laurent opened his eyes, he, too, looked confused.

"I know not whence that ending came. Father said that he did not know how the story ended. Maybe my mind just added in details to complete the story..." He trailed off into more thoughtful silence, pondering this strange mystery.

Auguste turned his thoughts toward the story. He knew exactly how the Faerie Prince felt. It was Auguste's responsibility to further his lineage by marrying a woman approved by the council. He kept a bitter laugh from escaping. The odds of him loving someone the council approved of were miniscule. He heaved a great sigh and turned his wandering eye to the scenery around him. Those thoughts had no place in this moment with his brother.

Deciding a short nap was in order, Auguste turned to lie on his stomach with his left arm pillowed under his head, facing Laurent. He heard Laurent turn a page in his book. He hoped for hundreds of more days like this with his brother before he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
